The popularity of All-In-One, nano and pico tanks is still going strong from a few years ago. With the likes of Innovative Marine, RedSea and Advance Acrylics continuing to innovate on looks and function of all in one tanks, but they can lack a few key ” upgrades “.
This is where AutoAquas new Smart ATO Micro comes in to play. The Micro ATO was displayed at MACNA last year but just started shipping to dealers the past few weeks. We were able to get our hands on one and start testing this pint-size auto top off system
When you first open the Smart ATO Micro box you are blown away with the miniature size of everything. The box includes a tiny DC pump, an optical sensor, check valve, about six feet of hose, a 12v power adaptor and magnetic tube holder. When you pick up the sensor you notice just how small it is.
The claim AutoAqua makes is true being only the size of a penny! The optical sensor also has a “hub” where the DC pump and 12v adaptor plug into. The two plugs look the same but have different sizes, so they can not be swapped accidentally resulting in a ” oh shoot ” moment.
Next was installation and this was equally as impressive. The Micro ATO took all of five minutes to set up. First we mounted the house to the tiny DC pump. Sometimes fitting a tube over a fitting can result in a headache with heating up the tube and being difficult to secure. However the fit was perfect and made this extremely easy.
We then mounted the DC pump into our ATO container, cut the tube to install the check valve and then mounted to the magnetic tube holder. Next we mounted the sensor to the desired location and plugged both DC pump and power in. The sensor has a dual color LED light. Red indicates that the pump is dry/empty ATO or a malfunction. A solid blue light indicates that the ATO is on and flashing blue light indicates the unit is refilling.
Overall the new Smart ATO Micro is a must have to us for anyone with a AIO or nano aquarium. The small size and easy to use system makes this extremely attractive for any novice or advanced reefer.
Price – $99.95
Pros : Small / Micro size. Quite operation, Easy to see LED indicator light, Simple set up
Cons : Magnets are a bit weak.
This is a guest contribution from Dave Fason, owner/operator of NanoBox Reef.
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